Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The highly anticipated return of Vital Organ to The Highland Tap & Burger triggered a social-networking frenzy in Colorado on this particular Wednesday. Facebook posts from Juno What, The Motet, MusicMarauders and even Kyle Hollingsworth eluded to a special evening. Speculation surrounded rumors of Kyle's potential turnout at Tap and sure enough as the Evening's crowd began to show face, so too did Kyle. The crowd was larger than usual and there was a buzz in the air as the quartet consisting of Joey Porter, Garrett Sayers, Dan Schwindt and Daren Hahn sound checked. Before the band began, the room was packed and when they finally fired up, the room went wild.

The funk/jazz vibe that overtook the room was intense and driving. Each member of the band output a frenzy of impressive notation. Joey's keys sounded as funky as ever, with Garrett digging deep into the pocket and filling with mind-blowing bass work. Daren's range fused the compositions together from genre to genre as Dan just about stole the show with ripping guitar work. A few songs into the set Joey stepped aside for Kyle, who fit right in as his whole band was on stage except for instead of Dave Watts, Daren would rounded out the rhythm section. The crowd was excited, as evident by all of the unholstered cell phones, texting away that one of their favorite musicians just showed up at one of their favorite bars to play. Kyle called the shots during "Seventh Step" which translated beautifully.

The room reached near capacity as Garrett gave a birthday shoutout to Kevin Hahn and for the remainder of the evening, folks danced and got down to some of the most enjoyable funk/jazz that Denver had to offer. That night in Denver was a reminder of the potential of the HTB Free Music Showcases. Imagine having a friendly bar in your neighborhood where your favorite musicians would turn out, maybe to enjoy the music and a drink, or possibly to step up and play. Imagine that this bar boasts fantastic food and drink menus, a fantastic crowd of local heads from the live music scene... Oh, and admission is free. Now stop imagining and come on down to The Highland Tap & Burger in Denver's Lower Highlands every Wednesday!